WICKER, CANE, RATTAN RETURN TO LIMELIGHT
For just about as long as humans have been making things, they’ve been making them out of the bark of the rattan vine, a plant native to Asia, Africa and Indonesia. But rattan, which can be grown and harvested responsibly, is by no means the only material that’s woven into furniture, rugs and other housewares.
Wicker, for example, is anything woven from willow, rattan, reed or other pliable plant material. And that’s different from bamboo, which can be both woven and made into furniture.
Don’t worry too much about keeping it all straight because they are all having a moment in home decor, with dozens of products taking advantage of the natural warmth and huge range of tones and textures found in these plants-based weaves.
This ageless material is showing up everywhere and at every price point. At the very high end, the pairing of bamboo and raffia pieces, made by Italian designer Gabriella Crespi in the 1970s, inspired AERIN’S (aerin.com) elegant, expensive collection of woven cane and brass pieces.
Ethan Allen (ethanallen.ca) has some pretty mid-range lighting, including the Kash woven pendant, made from rattan-wrapped seagrass and available in natural, whitewashed and navy finishes, and the Olina Orb chandelier, made from metal wrapped in natural abaca rope and accented with rectangular metal cuffs.
These interesting textures also look well under foot; Thirty Six Knots (thirtysixknots.com) sells carpets made in India from pure jute and a very small amount of white cotton string. Either hand-tufted or hand-knotted, they are available in several standard sizes, and custom sizes can also be made to order.
Ikea (ikea.ca) is betting big on bamboo to fuel its affordable, design-friendly product lines. The company says bamboo tops its list of beautiful, sustainable materials, as it’s self-regenerating, strong, flexible, and long-lasting — all of which make it exceptionally well-suited for furniture, accessories, lighting and decorative baskets. Beyond responsible material use, Ikea looked for other ways to use bamboo more efficiently: the Knixhult series of lamps, for example, came into being as a result of company designers working with local artisans to develop weaving techniques that use three times more of the raw bamboo material.
Ikea sells one of my favourite woven pieces — Tjillevips — handwoven open-weave bamboo baskets with lids can be used on dressing tables, open shelving and in the kitchen.
Larger baskets are a pretty, practical way to store items in entryways, the bath, laundry, or mud rooms
Homesense will no doubt also have attractive and affordable examples of this trend in accessories. As I write this, BTW, their stores are beginning to re-open. Go to homesense.ca for information on stores near you.
Casa Cubista is showing an extremely handsome trio of a basket-weave chair, table and pendant lampshade, all made in Portugal by a family with a long tradition of handweaving fishing baskets and other goods in cane and wood. All are available at Saudade Toronto (saudadetoronto.com).
There’s also a huge selection of pieces executed in the woven materials that emerged after the Second World War. These include flexible, durable, petroleum-based plastics and more recently, synthetic woven resins that mimic the look of cane and bamboo, and that are perfect for outdoor use.
These, too, have high/low prices points. Look, for example, at Rona’s (rona.ca) affordable faux banana leaf resin wicker outdoor set, which includes convenient swivel glider conversational chairs.
At the other end is the line Marcel Wanders (marcelwanders.com) collaboration with Walters Wicker (walterswicker.com).
The Reverie collection of outdoor furniture is made from stylish, sturdy woven resin, and includes one- and two-seater chairs, chaise lounge, day bed and tables.
Because pillows adhere to the open weave geometric resin shell, they add another layer of colour.
While in the past, woven furnishings and accessories were typically associated with Scandinavian, rustic or coastal-beach front looks, they’ve proven themselves as a decor element that can add both polish and practicality to any space, and any style. Looks like they’re here to stay.